No Place to Go
by ponylover4ever
Summary: When Peeta suddenly finds his family gone and himself on the run, he must ask for help in unexpected places. Will Katniss accept him? Will he find himself in love by the end of the day or dead? I am really bad at summaries... Characters OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**These characters are OOC, meaning they are the same as in Suzanne Collins's world yet have different personalities and react differently in different situations.****The world they live in is a mix between present day and the Panem you know in the books.****These characters and part of their world belong to Suzanne Collins ONLY.****If I have an OC, however, they belong to me.****Thank you very much and enjoy.**

The wind stung, but he didn't care. _Just keep running_, he thought to himself. Lungs burning and legs furiously churning in the mud, Peeta Mellark could only think of what just happened. Just hours ago, he and his brothers were walking home to the bakery. Nobody spoke. It was well known to the entire town that the Mellark family didn't get along well, but they never fought in public. Peeta's father was disappointed enough in his wife's public behavior; he didn't need any more fights that would influence their already poor reputation. However, when they arrived at the bakery, it was locked up. Two guards were stationed at the front. Their parents were long dead, murdered by Romulus Thread. Now, you would think that the three boys would have enough sense to call the police. But they couldn't, because Thread was the head of the police department. Even if they told their story, nobody would believe them, for Thread was a kind man to those who kept their heads down. While his brothers were checking the back door, Peeta heard two gunshots. Within seconds, the rest of his family was dead. So here he was, on the verge of collapse, running through the woods and into the quiet part of the town. With the houses farther apart and plenty of ways to camouflage himself, it was the perfect plan. _If only I was able to pack some food.__Plus a change of clothes.__A sleeping bag would be nice as well...__OK, maybe I do need a mosquito net to hide my fear of insects..._Peeta was panicking. Was it really just this morning when he was surrounded by friends, with a more-or-less secure life? Was it really just six hours ago that he and Katniss Everdeen were having their daily ritual of kicking? It may sound strange, but he and Katniss sort of developed a habit of hurting each other. He'd step on her foot, and she'd retaliate with a well aimed kick. With his superior reflexes, Peeta would dodge the kicks half the time and come home with several bruises the other half. Peeta slowed to a steady walk, thinking of Katniss. She smiled a lot at him. It was obvious she had a crush on the smart-ass, athletic, handsome guy named Gale, but now he was beginning to doubt it... As darkness fell, Peeta new he needed to find shelter. All of his friends lived in the downtown area, which was bustling with policemen and reporters. As long as it wasn't a total stranger, he was OK with just about anyone letting him stay the night.

"Mom, be patient! Buttercup has to be walked, and you know it. My homework can wait!" The voice was vaguely familiar, but Peeta couldn't quite place it. In the shape he was in, it was a miracle he could think and function at all...

"OK Prim. Just be careful out there and don't take too long!" Prim Everdeen! Katniss' younger sister was the darling of the elementary school. Nobody had the urge to hate her after they saw her adorable blond braids and petite frame. Rory Hawthorne was quite taken with her. As Prim walked the lanky dog, Buttercup, Peeta started to follow them. Although he felt guilty of stalking her, he couldn't help but wonder if sweet little Prim would let him take refuge at her place. She already adored his cookies, and at the graduation party the school threw, they even danced together a bit.

"Peeta? Is that you?" Shit. I really need to work on not walking out into the open...

"Yeah," I said quietly. I walked up to her, hoping to start up a quick conversation.

"Look, I need your help. My fami-"

"I heard," Prim interjected. "I'm sorry, Peeta!" There was surprising strength in the girl's skinny arms as she threw them around him. "You can stay with us for now. The whole town has been thrown into a frenzy trying to look for you." Peeta mentally slapped himself for thinking the people would give up on him. He was the one person in town who could destroy Thread's career, bring the Capitol to justice, defy the nation. He represented all of the districts: he was the survivor among a nation whose goal was to exterminate his kind, yet somehow failed just once. The failure that leads to the downfall of an empire.

**Thank you very much for reading! Please review and don't be afraid to give constructive criticism!**


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss's POV

"Katniss?" Prim called, walking inside with an overjoyed Buttercup.

"Yes, little duck?" I replied. Ever since my father brought the two of us into the woods together, we would sit by the river and feed all of the ducks. Prim was just a toddler, and she would always be trying to imitate the birds. My father came up with the nickname. After he was killed in a car explosion when I was eleven, it became too painful to call her that. However, when Prim's new school uniform for fifth grade came in, she had trouble tucking in the blouse. The back was always becoming un-tucked, forming a ducktail. The first time I hesitantly started to call her the nickname, Prim burst into tears. Now, instead of the name giving me a heartache, it reminded me of all of the wonderful memories of the family spending time in the woods. It was a piece of my father I could hold onto.

"Um... Can you and I meet up in the shed?" Right away I knew something peculiar was going on. The only time we met up in the shed was to discuss private manners, such as our government.

"Okay..." I said slowly. Prim quickly gave Buttercup his dinner and then pulled me towards the shed. It was a small, dank, dirty building that sat next to the garage. My father had built it himself, to make sure no hidden cameras were hidden in the walls. As I opened the wooden door, I nearly fainted in disbelief. Inside the shed was a dirty, scuffed up Peeta Mellark.

Peeta's POV

Once Prim and I made it back to the Everdeen's, Prim ushered me into their small garden shed. The place was dark and smelled of mouse dropping, and had the misfortune of being close to the road, but Prim assured me that no camera or official would find me here; for now. As I waited for Prim to return with Katniss, I wondered how she would react. She really didn't appreciate me trying to step on her toes, but she seemed to like our sparring. She laughed and unsuccessfully tried to hide her smile. Although her expression on the way home was grim, she seemed much livelier in school, where she felt safe. But almost any kind of safety in Panem is just an illusion.

**A/N****Ok, I know it's a weird place to end it, but I really am exhausted and wanted to get these chapters up.**


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